How a Fake Instagram About Glamour and Alcohol Abuse Rose to the Top

We all have that friend who seems to be living a picture-perfect life on social media. Lousie Delage, a 25-year-old Parisian, would probably be one of those friends-constantly posting about walking down rustic alleyways, indulging in lavish dinners with attractive friends, and lounging on yachts anchored in the middle of the Mediterranean, drink in hand.

Her on-display glamorous lifestyle has allowed her to muster over 68,000 Instagram followers-but little do they know that she isn't even real.

Metro reports that Louise is a fake character created by the ad agency BETC for its client, Addict Aide. BETC brought her to life in an attempt to show social media users how easy it is to overlook a friend's or loved one's alcohol addiction. Though Louise's character is visibly having the time of her life, she also has alcohol present in every single one of her pictures.

According to Adweek, it only took BETC two months to help the account rack up so many followers. They were able to do this by posting pictures at the right time, accessing the most active users, making sure to follow several social "influencers" and including several hashtags with each post that related to food, fashion, parties, and other similar topics.

"There were a few people who sensed the trap - a journalist among others, of course," the ad agency's president and creative director Stéphane Xiberras told Adweek. "In the end, the majority just saw a pretty young girl of her time and not at all a kind of lonely girl, who is actually not at all that happy and with a serious alcohol problem."

The agency finally ended the ruse by posting the following video on Instagram and YouTube, hoping to prove that following these seemingly glamorous people and simply liking their posts can inadvertently enable someone's addiction.

Not only is this campaign encouraging people to take a step back and look at the bigger picture when it comes to their friends, but it's are also trying to help people take a second look at their own substance abuse issues.

Also, let's not forget how easy it can be to impersonate someone on social media. So be careful who you follow and don't trust everything you see.